Over the years
by His Only Orchid
Summary: Karin learns to appreciate her birthday as the years go by. — karin-centric, sasukarin, team taka.


_Surprise surprise! It's me, dumping the little karin birthday gift i made for tumblr_

_Sasuke will get one too, don't worry. lately, i've considered uploading my sasukarin/narusaku one shots here on bc never enough SK, ya feel?_

_12_

She was a young frail thing back then. Karin barely had the courage to stand on her own two feet, clumsy and skinny and barely able to care for herself. A development of her mother's fiery temper had taken place, but she did not have the heart to use it often; she was often soft-spoken and kind. She was weak, and that acknowledgment frightened her.

The giant bear stood ready to kill her, and she prayed someone, something, anything would save her, trembling and tripping over herself.

And then he showed up, and he flipped her world upside down. Here he stood, offering to help her to her feet with a kind, open hand, a kind smile gracing his features.

Her mother often spoke of love, and Karin wondered if this is what she meant. On her twelfth birthday, Karin scribbles down in her childish journal, giggling and blushing to herself about the young boy who saved her.

_13_

Everything in her world is ripped from her young palms at thirteen. She tried and tried harder to have anyone escape with her, to no avail; and there she stood, surrounded by lifeless bodies, their pallid skin fading ever more to white. Ash sticks to their bodies, clotting the mixture of blood that runs through the streets, and the sickening, overpowering scent of iron smothers her senses.

And then Orochimaru comes, and so does he— and she finds a new home of sorts.

At thirteen, she looks up to the stars from Otogakure, aching for her family and pining for the boy next to her. Sasuke's hand comforts her, fingers laced with her own. He tells himself that he's allowed to be gentle— just this once.

And Karin promises she will grow stronger, because she refuses to lose another person dear to her.

_14_

She's toughened up, he can tell.

Her soft words have turned to rough barks, and Orochimaru's prisoners cower and even yelp within her presence. Karin will even order the likes of Kabuto around, paying no heed to his rank above hers. Sasuke has learned to respect her as a kunoichi.

When he finds her bite marks, however, he learns why she's become so strong.

"Karin, what is that?"

She glances over her shoulder at him, her brow quirking.

"These? Nothing, really," she says. Her words aren't reassuring in the slightest, especially when he finds her arms wrapped in white bandages. Fresh wounds and lavender scars cover her arms, and a few peek out from her neck. Karin's developed a habit of of tugging on her hair when she lies, and now is no exception.

"One day, we'll get out of here." Sasuke states. She snorts in response, because it sounds so aspiring and kind of stupid, yet she admires the idea.

"There is nothing but suffering in Otogakure." With that, he stands and leaves, flashing her one last gaze, before clicking the door shut on his way out.

She's left to herself, stroking the blemishes upon her skin in her room.

And, for the first time in a while, she smiles, because Sasuke cares for her wellbeing, and that's a better birthday gift than she could ever ask for.

_15_

She's sent to the Southern Hideout days before her birthday. As rough and ruthless as she is with her prisoners, when she is alone, she aches for Sasuke. Karin finds it ridiculous that she should miss him so much, but she does. On the eve of her birthday, she writes him a letter— rather, letters, because there are countless scattered crumples of paper in her room. In the end, she tucks them all away in a drawer, ruffling her hair and laying down to sleep.

To her surprise, Orochimaru arrives the next morning, meaning—

"Oi, Karin."

She whirls around, a spiral of crimson in his vision. The Sannin continues on his way, leaving Sasuke to Karin.

"What?" she asks, sniffing indignantly. He bites his cheek to keep from rolling his eyes.

"It's your birthday, no?"

She nods, a hand resting on her hip. To her surprise, he reaches forward, prying open her fingers and placing something cold in her palm. Sasuke closes her fingers with his hands, letting them linger over hers for but a moment.

And as quickly as he had given her the small gift, he walks past her, quickly moving on his way to join Orochimaru.

"Thank you, Sasuke," she sighs, a small laugh escaping her. He's left her with a small jade bracelet, catching all facets of the light, and hears her soft words of enjoyment, warmth blooming somewhere in his chest.

_16_

He fulfills his promise to her two years later, retrieving her from the Southern Hideout, and practically pleading for her to join him.

She finds a family, a home within Hebi, even with Suigetsu with them. They surround a fire, somewhere in the middle of the woods.

"…You shouldn't treat a woman like that on her birthday, ugly shark boy," Karin growls, poking at the fire a bit. Juugo perks up at her words, peering at her from across the fire.

"It's your birthday?"

Karin gives a small nod, smiling to herself happily.

"Oh goodie, miss virgin has come of age. Maybe we can meet up in the woods later, Karin," Suigetsu leers, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Karin scoffs and Juugo blushes.

"Suigetsu," Sasuke warns, glaring at him from the corner of his eye.

"Alright alright, she's yours."

Karin's smile widens, smug and satisfied.

_17_

He asks to see the scar that chidori has left upon her chest. She blinks, dumbly, for a moment, before shaking her head.

"No, Sasuke. Don't." And suddenly she is the one pleading for him, because that is her one weak spot, and even she cannot stand the sight of the ugly mark upon her skin.

"Karin… please."

Her fingers are hesitant, sliding down the zipper on her chest almost against her will, trembling. Her heart is audible in her ears, and she wonders if Sasuke can hear her heartbeat.

It is all too intimate and all too soon, but his fingers caress the mark, tender and gentle, so unlike him.

The tears spill from her eyes before she can stop them, so he wipes them away, and bends down to kiss the mark he left upon her chest.

When she turns seventeen, Sasuke makes love to Karin, apologies slipping from his lips. She guiltily enjoys every moment of it, savoring the feeling of his hips rolling against hers and his mouth tracing every bite mark he's left upon her skin.

_18_

Karin is woken by the sound of heavy knocking on her door and loud, pestering giggling. She's none too pleased, fumbling for her glasses and slipping onhalf decent clothing, and storming her way to the front door. Being home alone was supposed to be pleasing that day— Juugo and Suigetsu wouldn't be home from shopping for a while, and Sasuke was out on another mission with Naruto—who said he'd be home by her birthday.

Shaking her head and tugging the door open, she barks at the intruder.

"What the fuck do you—"

"Surprise, Karin! Happy birthday!"

A round of cheering and laughter comes from her front doorstep, crowded with shinobi. Naruto is grinning at her with an arm around Sakura, who mirrors his expression, with Sai on his opposite side. Ino is snickering, winking at her and shoving a bouquet of tiger lilies and white roses into her arms, whilst Shikamaru stands languidly beside her, yawning. Tenten and Lee look up at her, all smiles; Hinata blushes, laughing with everyone else, a smile of her own gracing her face. Suigetsu is pouting, holding her a small cake and Juugo's arms filled with presents. Kakashi has a wrapped gift of his own, presumably (more) Icha Icha to add to her collection.

And Sasuke, still in his uniform, is expertly avoiding her gaze, flushed red.

Her tears are hard to hold back, and she hides them by getting angry and flustered, but by the end of the day, she's hugged and thanked even Suigetsu.

She makes sure to give a second thanks to Kakashi for the gift of porn, to which he waves her off with a pleasant smile.

"Anything for my old student's girlfriend."

_19_

At nineteen, she's found her own apartment near her cousin's and made a stable living. The adults of the village look down on her in disdain, but the younger children look on in awe, amazed by her bright red hair.

It's grown long, and is as unkempt as ever.

There are several things in her room that she's collected throughout her time in Konoha— a brush from Juugo, silly pictures from Suigetsu, perfume from Naruto, flowers from Ino, and a necklace from Hinata, laid with care on her dresser. The jade bracelet she received from Sasuke still glints in the light, unscathed and as bright as ever.

When the thought of Sasuke comes to mind, she smiles— he's coming for tea later, and maybe even a bit more than that. Inwardly snickering, she admires the lingerie set Sakura bought for her the evening before, jokingly praying for Karin's dream of birthday sex to come true.

Karin never did grow out of her hormonal stage.

_20_

On her twentieth birthday, she wakes up in a bed that isn't hers. She is puzzled for a moment, before realizing it was Sasuke's bed in Sasuke's house, and grins.

"'Morning, sleepyhead," she says, tone low and husky. He blinks open one eye and then the other, and the sight is absolutely cute to her.

His smile is a rarity, but he does just that for her, and she plants her lips upon his when he does.

"Never thought I'd appreciate my birthday this much. If I get to move in with you this year, what do I get next year?"

He pauses, taking in her question, before flashing her a smirk.

"How about a continuation of the Uchiha lineage?"

He's actually serious, but Karin laughs anyways, pressing her mouth to his neck.

"Maybe," she adds, leaning into him. His heart gives a series of faster beats.

She truly does love her birthday.

* * *

_she is perfect. ill upload stuff like this from time to time in between color whirl chapters. have fun my lovelies!_


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